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Anfields nearly men frustrated as chances go begging

Gerard Houllier finds Liverpools best is not good enough as they slip nine points behind their north London rivals

david walsh

October 5 2003, 1:00am, The Sunday Times

When Houllier came to discuss this latest setback for his side, the weariness was first cousin to despondency. What to say? If, even in a loose moment, he thought this game was “make or break”, what now? Nobody dared to ask. Better to concentrate on Michael Owen’s right shin and talk about muscles and scans and the speed with which the young striker might recover.

Let us cut through the sinews and ligaments: Owen’s injury looks likely to keep him out of England’s European Championship qualifier against Turkey next weekend. The player himself thought he heard a crack, but that may have been the distant sound of Alpay Ozalan sighing with relief. To his credit, Owen went back on the pitch and tried to keep…

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